In the U.S., Political Ads Are Flooding TV Screens

In a week, Americans will go to the polls to elect their representatives and senators.

In the United States, fall is the season of cold sweats. Pumpkins and ghosts are brought out and placed under trees changing colors. In a few days, Americans, old and young alike, will have fun scaring each other for Halloween.

That is not all; every other year, at the beginning of November, the country elects its Congress and television screens are then flooded with ads that portray the opposition candidates with their most frightening characteristics. This is all the more true this year as the Supreme Court recognized the right for any organization to create commercials that directly call to vote for or against any candidate for a seat in Washington.

In this game of fear, Indiana residents are especially well off. Between the traditional messages that praise a toothbrush brand or a treatment against hypertension, political attack ads flood their screens.

Dark Colors and a Creepy Soundtrack

On the Republican side, Brad Ellsworth, the Democratic candidate for the Senate has been turned into a danger to any retired person in poor health. “Congressman Brad Ellsworth said he would protect our seniors. But when he got to Washington, Congressman Ellsworth voted for the largest cuts in Medicare history,” a female voice says while black and white images of the nasty candidate and elderly people — who we can see walking with difficulties from behind — are shown. “That’s wrong,” the voice-over concludes over an ominous musical background.

The Democratic side has not been outdone. Republican Dan Coats looks like a businessman without scruples, who could even be close to Bin Laden’s terrorist organization. “Dan Coats made millions as a Washington lobbyist … Coats’ firm even trained corporate executives on how to fire American workers.” And his “opponents have used his work as a Washington insider to tie him to no less than … Yemen — the Middle Eastern nation that increasingly has become a terrorist training ground.” Ads for the Democrats use the same process as the opposite side: dark colors and a creepy soundtrack.

The Dollars are Going into the Advertising Agencies

The situation is escalating because Indiana is one of the key states of the campaign. For the Republicans, who hope to regain a majority in the Senate, the road leading to Washington goes through these fertile flat lands. They must pull a dozen seats from the Democrats out of the 37 seats that will be in play on Nov. 2, including Evan Bayh’s.

This rising personality of the Democratic Party decided to throw in the towel last January; he announced that he would not run for another term, accusing Congress of being worn down by ideology to the detriment of good sense. This departure opened a highway for the Republicans, especially since Indiana is traditionally a Republican state.

As a result, dollars are going into the advertising agencies and ads are flooding TV screens. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce (the equivalent of the French MEDEF), which is very upset with Obama’s administration, joined the battle thanks to the Supreme Court ruling. Up to now, any commercial or non-profit organization could broadcast commercials with a political message only, but they were not allowed to directly call for the victory or the defeat of a candidate in television ads.

$170 million Already Spent

The Chamber of Commerce — and others — stepped into the breach and multiplied the efforts to get rid of the most annoying people. As a result, it directly attacked Brad Ellsworth, who is accused of voting for substantial government spending programs with this slogan: “Tell Ellsworth Hoosiers can’t afford his big-government agenda.”

The union of employers does have money: it is planning on spending — 93 percent of the time in favor of a Republican candidate — between $50 and $75 million for the election — compared to $33.5 million in 2008.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, an NGO based in Washington, D.C., that studies the financing of politics, almost $170 million has already been spent nationally by conservative organizations to influence voters, compared to the $80 million spent by progressive organizations.